Being stuffed in a box… serious claustrophobia issues.
Why say death is a bad fate. We all do it eventually, nothing bad about it in and of itself. Only the method and timing of death could be a bad thing.
So in some sense stubbing my toe is a fate worse than death. Since I’ll definately die some time, but there is no guarantee that I’d ever have to stub my toe. That said I don’t especially feel like dieing at the moment.
A painful terminal condition is the only thing I would want to escape via a soon as possible death. Anything else you live through, as it is part of lifes tapestry whether it is sweet or sour.
Death isn’t so bad. At worst, it’s an average fate - it happens to absolutely everyone. If you’re asking if there are things I’d rather die than endure, then hell yes. Dozens, hundreds, thousands.
Pending dementia.
Living under a brutal political regime. I mean, I think I could adjust outwardly and resist secretly, if it were just a run-of-the-mill authoritarian society, but if it were like living under the Khmer Rouge or the Taliban I couldn’t manage it.
Most apocalyptic scenarios as played out in scads of SF and other speculative fiction. Spending my life farming or hunting and gathering, and camping out, would just plain suck.
It must already be happening. I meant, impending dementia.
I’ve no quarrel with death. Being a Christian and a Terry Pratchett fan, I figure it’ll happen when it does, although part of me will be disappointed if it doesn’t involve a skinny guy who SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
On the other hand, I’d prefer to delay making his acquaintance for as long as possible.
Put me in the club who fears Alzheimers, dementia, and PVS’s. If my mind or soul has deteriorated to where I’m no longer me anymore, then let my body follow my mind into death and remember me as I am now. My mother, as it happens, shares this attitude. I could handle being blind, although I’d want the appropriate modifications to my computer so I could still work on it. I could handle being deaf, although I’d like that less – I’d miss music too much. Even paralysis could be survived. Losing my mind and my will, however, and hurting those I love because they’ve got a body to look after but the soul they loved is gone or nearly so is not something I care to face. Give me a graceful exit while I can still appreciate the people around me and be the person they like and love rather than a faint echo of it.
Count me in the “not really” camp. I mean, if I was in severe, prolonged pain I might favour death as a release, but as long as I wasn’t actually in continuous pain I would favour any kind of existence whatsoever rather than death- even if I were paralysed, blind or mad. Given that (IMO) this is the only shot I’ll ever get, I want to make the most of it, and even very poor quality of life (IMO) is infinitely preferable to the finality of death.
We have a resident at the nursing home that can not be still. This poor lady can’t even sit down long enough to use the bathroom, you kind of have to hold her down on the pot until she is done. She will walk herself until she can’t stand and we have to put her in a chair that has a lap table so she can rest, becuase she won’t sit or lay down on her own. The minute you move the tray she is up again. She thinks she is working too, she is always cleaning off tables, wall, floors, people, anything she can get her hands on. Honestly she drives me nuts because you have to stay on her the whole time or she is out doors in in rooms. But I feel so bad for her. I could not handle not being able to just sit down and relax. She won’t even sit to eat!, you have to follow her around and hand her finger food that she may or may not eat. I could not handle that.